Canada's Finest Hour ??
 

Well, I've just got back from a week in Northern France where I had the honour and privilege of being shown around the Vimy Ridge Memorial.

To those of you who don't know, Vimy Ridge was one of the turning points of World War I. The Germans had fortified a hill in Northern France and 200,000 Allied soldiers had been lost trying to take it before the Canadians arrived. It was the first time that all four divisions of the Canadian Corps had fought together and although 4,000 Canadians were lost taking the ridge, the battle was over within a week. It helped cement the Corps' reputation in World War I as the Allies' finest fighters. It has been hailed as a "nation-making moment" where soldiers "went up the ridge as Albertans and Nova Scotians and came down as Canadians".

The memorial itself stands in 250 acres of land that the French have given to Canada. At the moment it is undergoing a huge restoration project that is due to take 2 years to finish, but there is a visitors' centre, a recreation of the trenches and the most incredible tour through the tunnels used by the soldiers to ferry munitions to the troops on the front line.

The whole thing really really moved me. The most amazing thing was seeing the electrified fence surrounding the paths where unexploded shells still lay a few feet beneath the surface. Grass has grown over but the ground still carries the scars.

If you live in the south of England or are ever passing through Calais and Northern France, you owe it to yourself to visit this amazing place.

http://www.vac-acc.gc.ca/general/sub...ls/ww1mem/vimy

Re: Canada's Finest Hour ??
 

My grandfather (a Scot) was with the Canadian Highlanders at Vimy.

Re: Canada's Finest Hour ??
 

My great grandad was a cavalryman in the 'Old Contemptibles' and was in WW1 from the kick off.

In this day and age you just cannot imagine what those lads went thro.

Loins led by f***** donkeys !!!!

Re: Canada's Finest Hour ??
 

It is always good to be reminded of what we all owe the Allied Soldiers who gave their lives so bravely in WWI and WWII. The whole of Normandy is littered with tiny cemeteries (all beautifully kept by the locals) with the graves of French, British, Canadian, Polish, American etc all side by side. It is incredibly moving and should be made a compulsory visit for all world citizens. If anyone is in Northern France, just stop at one of the cemeteries (you can't miss them , there are thousands) and pay your respects. :)